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Jan. 21, 2021 | Vol. 95, No. 13

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University makes changes to combat COVID-19 Cady Stribling News Editor cstribling1@murraystate.edu The University’s COVID-19 response team made two significant changes over the winter break. Rapid testing is now available on campus and the required quarantine period for those who were exposed to the virus has decreased. Director of Communicat i o n S h a w n To u n e y s a i d t h e quarantine policy was changed from a 14-day quarantine period to a seven to 10-day period. “ D u e t o t h e C D C ’s u p d a t ed quarantine policies, in consultation with our local health department, Dr. Bob Hughes, chief medical officer, state officials and others, we have updated our quarantine period from 14 days to seven-10 days, depending on the type of test administered,” Touney said. According to the Racer Restart Initiative, if students and employees have been exposed but have a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test on or after day five, they should be quarantined for seven days if asymptomatic. Students and employees should be quarantined for 10 days if the COVID-19 test is not PCR. If students are symptomatic, they should quarantine for 10 days regard less of testing, according to the Racer Restart Initiative. Aside from the adjusted quarantine period, Touney said all other Racer Safe and Healthy Guidelines will remain in p l ac e f rom t h e f a l l s e m e s t e r. Touney said the R acer S afe and Healthy plan is well-crafted and developed by over 200 faculty, staff, students, administrators and healthcare professionals

Gentry appointed to police chief News Opinion Sports Features

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who served as the guiding docu m e n t f o r t h e f a l l s e m e s t e r. “ This plan and the policies that have been developed since then will help us have a successful spring semester,” Touney said. “We also appreciate the partnership with our health care community in Murray, particularly the Calloway County Health Department, for their guidance and assistance in helping us keep our campus community as safe as possible.” Beginning on Monday, Jan. 18, the University began offering rapid testing to students, faculty and staff. According to an email sent by President Bob Jackson, rapid tests are for any student or employee who are displaying symptoms. Individuals can acquire rapid tests at no cost, including any related administrative charges for the tests, as long as the supply of rapid tests is available, which he anticipates will be through March 31, according to the email. Touney said the ability to offer rapid testing to symptomatic individuals will help to isolate students faster and lessen the spread of COVI D-19. R apid testing can be found at the Murray State Health Services, which is located on the first floor of Wells Hall. Touney said students who need additional cloth masks can obtain them from the Office of Student Affairs between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Faculty and staff can obtain additional cloth masks by contacting their department head and adding the masks to the personal protective equipment request form that academic and administrative departments received at the beginning of the year. The University ended the fall semester with a total of 492 COVID-19 cases since Aug. 1.

What does Biden’s administration have in store for college students? page 4

From Nov. 23 to Jan. 10, Murray State reported 24 cases. For the first week of the spring semester, four cases have been reported. As of Tuesday, Jan. 19, when the Calloway County Health Department last updated its COVID-19 information, confirmed 37 new cases, bringing the total number to 2,928 cases with 2,668 recovered, 212 isolated at home, seven hospitalized and 41 deaths. For COVID-19 vaccinations, Murray State faculty and staff will be included in Kentucky’s vaccination plan in group 1C, unless they are listed in higher groups like essential healthcare workers. Group 1C includes anyone 60 years of age or older, anyone older than 16 with CDC highest risk C19 risk conditions and all essential workers. “We are in daily contact with our local and state public health officials regarding our vaccination plan,” Touney said. “All vaccination plans for students, faculty and staff are being coordinated through the Calloway County Health Department and the Kentucky Department of Public Health. We are still awaiting further details from them regarding when group 1C will be offered their vaccine and then when our students will be offered the vaccine as well. As soon as the University has firm details provided to us by our health officials, we will share immediately with the campus community.” Touney said more than 800 faculty and staff members responded to the COVID-19 survey indicating that they were interested in receiving a vaccination once available to them. “Overall, the University is expected to have expenditures and lost revenue of over $11 million since March 2020 for costs directly related to the safe and healthy initiatives on campus,” Touney said.

Crump Family Foundation makes donation to Clear the Track campaign page 5

see QUARANTINE page 2

Art exhibit showcases UT Martin professor’s work page 7

News

Jan. 21, 2021

Gentry appointed to permanent police chief Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu After nearly a year of ser vice, Jeff Gentry has had the interim tag removed and has taken over as the Murray State chief of police. “I am happy to announce that Mr. Jeff Gentry has been appointed to the chief of police/director of Public Safety and Emergency Management effective Januar y 1, 2021,” according to an email sent by Vice President of finance and administrative services Jackie Dudley. “Jeff has served as the interim chief of police since June 2020. This is a vitally important position as we continually work to maintain a saf e and secure campus for the benefit of our students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and the larger communit y.” Gen tr y ha s se r ve d th e Un iversity for 20 years, while serving in the community for a total of 29 years. Gentr y said communit y-oriented policing is one of his main priorities. He wants to continue in his position as a collaborative leader with students, faculty and staff. “I want each student to know how we care and support each individual,” Gentr y said. Gentry’s journey with the Murray State Police Department began as an officer before being promoted to deput y chief and

QUARANTINE From Page 1 The loss in revenue pertained to PPE, added cleaning and technology needs, retrofitting of and creation of additional space to assist with social distancing and managing quarantine spaces for on-campus residents. Other factors include housing and dining refunds, loss of bookstore sales and athletics contests which did not take place. The visitation policy in residential colleges returned to Phase one, therefore no visitors are permitted into the residence halls.

I never dreamed I would be the police chief. It is a very humbling experience, and I appreciate all the support from the administration. - Jeff Gentry, Murray State Chief of Police

then to interim chief of police before taking on this new role. “Jeff strives to be a collaborative, empowering leader and plans to build upon the police department ’s community policing by continuing to activel y engage with students, parents, faculty and staff at MSU,” according to the email sent to students and faculty. Gentr y has also ser ved as the president of the Kentucky Association of University Law Enf orcement Administr ators f or th e pa s t th ree years af t er being elected by his peers. In addition, he has ser ved on several civic organizations including the Murray-Calloway Count y Park Board and the Cal lo way County Librar y Board. H e i s a g r ad u a t e o f t h e d e partment of criminal justice executive development program in Richmond, Kentuc ky. “I never dreamed I would be the police chief,” Gentry said. “It is a ver y humbling experience, a n d I a p p re c i a t e a l l t h e s u p port from the administration.” “We know that the implement a t i on o f o u r R ac e r S a f e a n d Healthy Guidelines have been key and have helped us minimize the spread of COVID-19 among our students, faculty and staff,” Touney said. “We also are grateful for the excellent job our faculty, staff and students have done in helping keep our campus community safe, particularly those individuals working directly with students such as our Housing employees, residential college leaders and many others.” The University will recognize and award prizes to at least one student group each week for going above and beyond in supporting

Sam Stewart/The News Jeff Gentry was appointed to the permanent police chief after serving as interim since June 2020.

and ser ving as examples of the Racer Safe and Healthy Guidel i n e s . S t u d e n t g ro u p s c a n b e nominated at msu.r acerssaf ea n d h e a l t hy @ mu r r ay s t a t e. e d u . To u n e y s a i d 6 4 p e r c e n t o f courses are being offered either in-person or on Zoom and 19 percent are completely online. The remaining courses are directed study courses, internships, theses, dissertations and Racer Academy dual-credit courses through high school students. If any student needs to transition to a hybrid or Zoom course because of COVID-19, To u n e y s a i d t h e s e o p t i o n s will be available and they

should work directly with t h e i r p ro f e s s o r o r i n s t r u c t o r. “Murray State remains committed to the safety and health of our students, faculty and staff, and will be operating in a safe and healthy manner this semester, just as we did in the fall,” Touney said. “Adherence to the Racer Safe and Healthy Guidelines at all times is vitally important, particularly wearing a facemask and making good decisions both on and off campus, as well as after hours. We are at the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Let ’s all do our part and be positive and supportive in order to complete the semester successfully.”

News

Jan. 21, 2021

New nursing simulation center coming to hospital Levi Brandenburg Contributing Writer lbrandenburg1@murraystate.edu The Murray State School of Nursing has recently formed a consortium with Murray-Calloway County Hospital and the Purchase Area Health Education Center to build a nursing simulation center to help train and recruit nurses to meet the c u r re n t n e e d ac ro s s t h e a re a . Dina Byers, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, worked w i t h D a n a To d d a n d To n i a Mailow to secure a grant from USDA Delta Health Ser vices. After submitting the grant application in August, they were made aware that they had been awarded $960,000 to put toward the simulation center. The Delta Health Care Services Grant program provides financial assistance to address the continued unmet h e a l t h n e e d s i n t h e d e l t a region. Grants are awarded to promote cooperation among health c are prof essionals, institutions of higher education, research institutions and other entities in the delta region. “ The simulation center will g i ve t h e s t u d e n t s t h e o p p o r tunity to practice in scenarios

that they might experience in e m e r g e n c y s i t u a t i o n s , ” To d d s a id. “ In th e simulat ion cent e r, i t ’s p r a c t i c a l l y r e a l l i f e but with these mannequins.” The simulation center will be housed at Murray-Calloway County Hospital, where many nursing students attend their clinicals. “ T h i s i s a c o l l a b o r a t i ve e f f o r t , ” To d d s a i d . “ I t ’s a go o d way for students to practice emergency events or events t h a t yo u d on’t s e e ve r y o f t e n that could be ver y ser ious. It gives them the opportunity to get that exper ience bef ore they ’re in a real-life situation. It ’s also a benefit to the hospital as well. Their nurses will be able to use the space as well for training, so it ’s a win-win for both Murray State Universit y and f or the hospital. ” The simulation center will help the students to become b e t t e r i n a s a f e r, m o r e s t a ble environment as well. “ It ’s a safe environment for s t u d e n t s , ” B ye r s s a i d . “ I t ’s a w ay f o r f ac u l t y t o g i ve f e e dback to the students before t h e y ’r e a c t u a l l y w i t h a p a tient...We can talk to students about those events in the classroom, but to be able to actually have them to apply the

Jill Rush/The News The new nursing simulation center will be located at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital.

skills that they learned in a textbook and participate, they will be able to critically think through the situation if the y ever have that experience.” The third member of the consortium, the Purchase Area Health Education C e n t e r, i s l a r g e l y f o c u s e d on health education in the

P u r c h a s e a r e a o f K e n t u c k y. They will take the simulation equipment to school systems to recruit high school students into health career fields, Byers said. T h e U n i v e r s i t y ’s g o a l f o r the simulation center is to have construction complete d by t h e f a l l 2 0 2 1 s e m e s t e r.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION GET INVOLVED Student Government Association applications are available on line www.murraystate.edu/sga and the ‘Get Involved’ tab, or directly by clicking here. Positions:

President - must be Junior by fall semester, 2.7 gpa Executive Vice President - must be Junior by fall semester, 2.7 gpa Vice President of Administration - 2.7 gpa Vice President of Finance - 2.7 gpa Senator At Large – 8 positions, 2.0 gpa College of Business – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa College of Education & Human Services – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa College of Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa College of Science, Engineering & Technology – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa Hutson School of Agriculture – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa School of Nursing & Health Professionals – 3 positions, 2.0 gpa RCA President - 2.7 gpa RCA Vice President – 2.7 gpa RCA Secretary/Treasurer, 2.7 gpa **ALL RCA officers must have lived in residential college 1 year prior to election

Applications due:

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021 at NOON online

Candidates Meeting: MANDATORY CANDIDATES MEETING 2/15 at 4 PM in Curris Center Ballroom Elections:

ONLINE VOTING, MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 AT 12:01 AM THROUGH TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021 AT 11:59 PM

Results:

Executive Council in Curris Center Small Ballroom on March 10 at 5 pm, others should watch via Facebook Live on SGA’s page

Chair Applications due:

Elections/Ways & Means – 1 position, 2.0 gpa Publications & Public Relations, 1 position, 2.0 gpa University Affairs – 1 position, 2.0 gpa Government Relations – 1 position, 2.0 gpa Diversity & Inclusion – 1 position, 2.0 gpa Enrollment Management & Student Success – 1 position, 2.0 gpa WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 at NOON online

Judicial Board: Applications due:

Campus Activities Board: Applications due:

12 chair positions, 2.0 gpa WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 at NOON online

Senate Chair:

Opinion

Jan. 21, 2021

What does Biden’s administration have in store for college students? The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board Gabe Steffen Opinion Editor gsteffen@murraystate.edu

With the newly inaugurated President Joe Biden high on everyone’s radar, a lot of American citizens have been taking an in-depth look into his policies and what he has waiting for us all. College students especially have decided to start thinking about the big picture and what he has in store for them. One point that has been made is that they hope his administration will redistribute higher education funding so that the gap between the most-funded and the least-funded universities in each state is not so drastic. With the appointment of Bernie Sanders as the Budget Committee chair, and with knowing Sanders to

have many “for the people” sentiments, there is hope that this can lead to changes in funding toward colleges and therefore to potential college students’ accessibility to education. Even students who are graduating still want the best for future college students. They want funding and scholarships to be a priority and for schools with low state funding to not have to pick between fixing a leaky dorm or a crumbling parking lot, because education is a right, not a privilege. While many don’t believe that the Biden administration alone will make these changes, they do believe they will tip the iceberg and get the ball rolling. Another point that the Biden administration has made is the plan to make public colleges and universities tuition free for

families whose income is below $125,000. While this would be an amazing thing that would make education easier to acquire for poorer American citizens, many are curious about how Biden can come through with that promise and how he plans to make that possible. As far as the public knows, students’ tuition keeps colleges and universities afloat, and many students feel as though in the past cheaper education has been promised, but it always seems to fall through or be pushed to the backburner. But while the big question is “how,” many feel that Biden has a good feel for what our generation strives for and is planning to do things that could really benefit college stu-

dents in the foreseeable future. Aside from college students, many hope Biden implements federal-level changes in public schools for K-12 that better prepares students for college and/or the workforce. While this doesn’t directly affect college students today, there will be people going to college in the future, and our educational system needs to help these kids in any way possible, because many people don’t realize that everything comes from good, quality education. The economy and employment all depend on the quality of education. Despite these hopes for Biden’s presidency, we don’t know what the future will hold. All we can do is hope that these promises come to fruition.

Letter to the Editor Got opinions? The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Contact Gabe Steffen at gsteffen@murraystate.edu.

We want to hear from you!

CHEERS....

CHEERS

JEE

to returning to in-person classes. We seriously all need the social interaction.

JEERS....

to Einstein Bros. Bagels closing at 5 p.m.! Let us get a bagel at 9 p.m. again!

JEERS

THE

Murray State

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The Murray State News

Gage Johnson Cady Stribling Dr. Stephanie Anderson Daniella Tebib Editor-in-Chief News Editor Faculty Adviser Production Manager gjohnson17@murraystate.edu cstribling1@murraystate.edu sanderson37@murraystate.edu dtebib@murraystate.edu Jenna Carnes Allison Manning Chief Copy Editor Ad Sales Manager jcarnes2@murraystate.edu amanning4@murraystate.edu Kalea Anderson Elizabeth Erwin Chief Videographer Public Relations Manager kanderson29@murraystate.edu eerwin1@murraystate.edu

The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Submissions should be 600 words or less, and contributors should include phone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the University. The News reserves the right to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributions will be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Monday of each week via email to mreynolds12@murraystate.edu.

Jillian Rush Gabe Steffen Photo Editor Opinion Editor jrush4@murraystate.edu gsteffen@murraystate.edu John O’Neill Dionte Berry Online Manager Features Editor joneill4@murraystate.edu dberry1@murraystate.edu

Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News. The News is a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The paper offers a hands-on learning environment for students interested in journalism. The campus press should be free from censorship and advance approval of copy and its editors should develop their editorial and news policies.

The News strives to be the University community’s source for information. Our goal is to present that information in a fair and unbiased manner and provide a free and open forum for expression and debate. The News is prepared and edited by students and is an official publication of Murray State University. The first copy is free. Additional copies are available for 25 cents at 111 Wilson Hall.

Sports

Jan. 21, 2021

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Scotty Crump is a former Murray State football player. He and his wife Debi, who have made a generous donation to Murray State, are pictured on the right.

Former Racer gives back

Crump Family Foundation makes donation to Clear the Track campaign Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Racer Athletics publicized a six-figure donation to the Clear the Track Campaign from a Murray State Alumnus. The $100,000 donation, which was made by Scotty and Debi Crump through the Crump Family Foundation, will contribute to the recent Clear the Track campaign, which is a program Murray State began in late 2019 to support Racer Football. When the campaign was announced, Director of Athletics Kevin Saal explained the importance and purpose of the new fundraiser: to support Racer Football financially and help rebuild the program. “We intend to build a pro-

gram in which our community can be proud,” Saal said. “The Clear the Track campaign is intended to further bridge the gap by providing ample resources to support a highly competitive football program equipped to win championships.” With the addition of the Crump family’s donation, Saal once again addressed the important relationship between financial support and a solid athletic program. “A direct correlation exists between resources and winning,” Saal said. “The generosity of the Crump Family Foundation and numerous others establishes a foundation on which we can develop a championship-level football program.” With the addition of the Crump family’s donation, the campaign has received over $470,000, blow-

ing the initial goal of $250,000 out of the water. This amounts to a near $120,000 commitment per year for four years, which will go toward areas of improvement within the program, such as facility upgrades, operational expenses and recruiting. “Racer Football is very near and dear to my heart,” Scotty said. “Helping the program get back on the right path under Coach Hood is very important to me.” Head Coach Dean Hood also extended his thanks to the Crump Family Foundation for their substantial contribution. “On behalf of our student-athletes and staff, we want to sincerely thank the Crump Family Foundation and the many others who have generously contributed to the Clear the Track campaign,” Hood said. “You are

making a significant and important impact on our football program and the young men who develop within it.” Crump left the contribution in hopes to not only make their difference in helping the Racer Football program, but also to motivate others to do what they can to offer their own support. “I hope our gift inspires other football alumni and supporters of the program to contribute to this important campaign, intended to provide the resources necessary to return Racer Football to a program that consistently competes for championships,” Scotty said. Anyone interested in contributing to the Clear the Track campaign can contact Director of Development Taylor Mudd at tmudd3@murraystate.edu for more information.

Murray State Rifle defeats No. 13 Buckeyes Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

No. 8 Murray State Rifle took on No. 13 Ohio State at Pat Spurgin Rifle Range on Saturday, Jan. 16, beating the Buckeyes 4672-4643. Sophomore Matias Kiuru led the Racers with an aggregate score of 1177, shooting 583 in smallbore and 594 in air rifle. Kiuru placed first overall in the competition as well. Freshman Allison Henr y led the Racers in smallbore (587) and contributed an 1168 aggregate for her team. Senior Dana Buesseler placed fifth overall in the competition, adding an 1162 aggregate on smallbore and air rifle scores of 575 and 587, respectively. Junior Emily Fitzgerald was the fourth shooter for the Racers. Fitzgerald placed sixth overall in the match, scoring 578 in smallbore and 585 in air rifle for an aggregate score of 1161. The Racers will compete next on Saturday, Jan. 23, against No. 2 Kentucky at Pat Spurgin Rifle Range before gearing up for Februar y ’s OVC championship competition.

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Sophomore Mattias Kiuru aims his shot at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range.

Sports

Jan. 21, 2021

Racers grab historic win over Belmont Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu

For the first time since 2000 and the first time in OVC history, the Murray State women’s basketball team defeated the Belmont Bruins 72-66 on Tuesday, Jan, 19. The Racers got off to a hot start with a 9-0 run to go up 9-2 over the Bruins. Belmont answered with its own 14-1 run to take a 16-13 lead with 2:26 to go in the first quarter. The Bruins held their lead, going into the second quarter up 19-15. The Racers were able to get their defense going toward the end of the second quarter, not allowing Belmont to score in the final 4:03 of the quarter. In that time, the Racers scored eight points to take the lead. Thanks to its defense, Murray State led Belmont at halftime 33-30. Senior forward Laci Hawthorne led the Racers at halftime with 10 points and five rebounds. The Bruins were led at halftime by junior forward Conley Chinn, who had 10 points on 4-5 shooting, all of which came in the first quarter. The second half was close as both teams traded shots throughout the half. The Bruins managed to get hot, making six of their 10 shots taken by the 2:57 mark of the third quarter. The Racers still kept the game close, making six of their last seven shots of the quarter. Junior guard Macey Turley scored 11 points in the quarter and shot 3-3 from three-point range, keeping the Racers in charge 5350 heading into the fourth quarter. Belmont shot just 6-20 in the fourth, scoring 16 points with the addition of three made free throws. Murray State also struggled, shooting just 2-10 in the quarter, but the Racers scored 19 points thanks to a 15-18 clip from the charity stripe. With that advantage, Murray State defeated Belmont 72-66, claiming a historic OVC victory. Turley finished with 24 points, tying her career high in points. She shot 6-12 from the field, 4-5 from three-point range and 8-8 from the free throw line, extending her streak of consecutive free throws made to 41. She spoke postgame about the team’s performance in the game, “It’s just incredible, seeing us get that win,”Turley said. “It really hurt at Martin because we were just so close. We’ve been talking about sparking

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Junior guard Macey Turley surveys the floor against Belmont.

that fire and I think [we] sparked it at UT Martin and we just kept going tonight. I think we have so many weapons. Having Katelyn down low in the post really gives us an inside-out look, so that really helps us. We just gotta keep focusing on playing eight five-minute games, which is what coach was telling us in the beginning of the pre-game. Just cutting down the quarters into separate games and hopefully winning as much as we can.” Turley also spoke on finally getting a win against Belmont for the first time in her three-year career. “It feels great,” Turley said. “We threw some water on coach in the locker room. We’re gonna celebrate this win for a couple of days, but we gotta get ready for Jacksonville State.” Head Coach Rechelle Turner also spoke about how meaningful the win over Belmont is, marking her first as head coach of the Racers. “I just couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” Turner said. “The look on their faces after the game and the excitement was worth it all to me. They work hard. We’ve been close; we know we’ve been close. Coach Monica has been saying ‘We’re close, we’re close,’ and to be able to come here today

and perform like we did and be able to pull out this win—it’s a signature win for our program, but hopefully it’s just a stepping stone for these players to understand that when we are at our best, we can play with anyone.” Turner said Turley’s injury from last season has hindered her play, but now she is starting to get back to her usual self. “She is our glue,” Turner said. “Early in the year I didn’t want to make excuses for her because she wouldn’t let me, but she didn’t get very many reps in the pre-season because of her surgery and her injury, so she wasn’t ready when the season started. She said ‘Coach, I don’t want you to make excuses for me. I gotta play better,’ but she has just had a totally different mindset in the last couple of weeks. She’s putting this team on her shoulders, she is accountable for everything she does not do well. She doesn’t take enough credit for what she does well, but we are going off of her energy. She is our spark.” Murray State finished with four players in double digits, including Turley (24), Hawthorne (11), freshman forward Katelyn Young (13) and junior forward

Alexis Burpo (10) off the bench. Young grabbed 16 rebounds, while Burpo grabbed seven rebounds, helping the Racers win the rebound battle over Belmont 42-32. Turner touched on the teams rebounding success after the game. “Rebounding has been a big key,” Turner said. “We told them today that we had to win the rebounding battle… If we lost the rebounding battle, we would lose the war. And Katelyn was just unbelievable today on the boards. It felt like she got all of them… we just did a really good job. Early we didn’t rebound the ball as well, but in the second half I felt like they got one shot and were done, and that’s what you have to do. They are too good of a basketball team to give them more opportunities, so being able to rebound the ball, go down the floor and make plays, that’s what it’s all about.” Murray State improves to 6-6 on the season after winning its third away game this year and its first away game over Belmont in the team’s history. The Racers, who are now 3-4 in conference play, will take on Jacksonville State at home on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 4:30 p.m.

Track kicks off 2021 at Boo Rogers Combine Events Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

Four members of Murray State track and field competed at the Boo Rogers Combine Events in Pittsburg, Kansas, on Friday, Jan. 15, to kick off the 2021 season. Redshirt junior Jessikha Ribeiro finished fifth among 13 competitors in the pentathlon with 3117 points, while sophomore Jenna Pauly placed eighth with a score of 2900. Sophomore Meghan Fletcher finished tenth overall, but took a first place victory during the high jump competition with a mark of 1.63m. Ribeiro and Pauly tied for second in the high jump at 1.60m each. Sophomore Anna Vollet’s high jump mark was 1.42m. In the 60m hurdles, Ribeiro and Fletcher crossed the finish line within the same second with times of 9.52 and 9.54, respectively. The two Racers earned the fourth and fifth places in that segment of the competition. Meanwhile, Pauly came in seventh with a time of 9.71. Vollet also competed in the 60m hurdles but did not finish the competition because of an injury that Head Coach Adam Kiesler said was minor. Still, ear-

ly on in the season, Kiesler did not want to push Vollet to continue for risk of further injury. “She’ll be okay,” Kiesler said. “If this is the OVC Championship then maybe we go a little bit deeper into the competition, but it is not an OVC Championship. Unfortunately, it happens in our sport, but at this point in our season there is no need.” In the shot put, Ribeiro led the Racers once again with a distance of 10.15m, earning her fourth place in the competition. Pauly marked at 8.96m and came in eighth, while Fletcher placed ninth at 8.50m. The long jump featured Puly and Ribeiro for the Racers, who placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Pauly jumped 5.05m while Riberio’s mark was at 4.95m. Fletcher placed 10th overall at 4.71m. The 800m dash was a lackluster leg of the pentathlon for the Racers, with only Ribeiro finishing in the top ten. Ribeiro took the eighth place spot with a time of 2:47.26. Pauly and Fletcher placed 11th and 12th, respectively, with times of 3:00.33 and 3:07.22. Kiesler said the main goal of this first competition was to knock the rust off and give his

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Sophomore Meghan Fletcher went on to win first place in the high jump and fifth overall.

players an opportunity to compete early on. The Racers had only been back on campus for ten days before the competition, and Kiesler said it showed in the competition’s results. Still, Kiesler was pleased with his four-person squad’s overall performance. “I think there are definitely things they can improve on,” Kiesler said. “I think you can tell we’ve

only been on campus for 10 days, [but] I think they’ll improve and you can always take away things from a competition, good or bad. Overall I think it was awesome.” The Racers will continue to train for their next competition on Jan. 30 when they will travel to Huntington, West Virginia, for the Thundering Herd Invite and the Marshall Invite.

Features

Jan. 21, 2021

Study abroad office prepares for virtual fair Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu T he pandemic may have dera i led much of the traditiona l college experience, but with the hope of an end in sight the Murray State Study Abroad off ice is excited for a return to normal. K now i n g t h at t he p a ndemic won’t last forever, the Study Abroad off ice is prepa ring for study abroad opportunities in the summer and fa l l. To help st udents prepare, they are hosting the Spring Virtual Study Abroad Fa i r We ek f rom Fe b. 1 to 5. Senior Education Abroad Adv iser Steven Guns is a pa r t of putting the fair week together. “We are really hopeful that traveling abroad will be possible this summer,” Guns said. “However we are really eager and ready to start heavy recruitment for our fall semester and winter programs.” Guns has online events planned for each day of the week. These events a re gea red towa rd st udents who are possibly considering studying abroad and those who are in the registration process. The virtual fair will offer students sessions concerning their applications, f inancial aid and scholarships. Through sessions like these, Guns hopes to communicate that studying abroad is quite affordable. “We have stories about past students that were able to make it really affordable and took classes that they would have been taking here on campus any ways, so

it counted towards graduation and boosted their resumes,” Guns said. There will be sessions of open advising during the week. Open adv ising ser ves to a ns wer a ny q u e s t ion s s t u d e nt s m a y h a v e about studying abroad as well as helping them with their applications. These sessions are also available during the school year. Be yond open adv ising t here are more specif ic study abroad prog rams being presented. “There will be sessions about the winter New York and London programs and the summer Italy program,” Guns said. “Students will get a description of the program and get to meet the faculty that are going on the trip.” It is hard for people to discuss study abroad without mentioning COV ID-19, which has undeniably affected the program, but with the vaccine roll out the Study Abroad off ice is optimistic about resuming its programs. “ Wit h in ou r t ravel abroad or ie nt at ion w e h a v e t he t a l k about stay ing safe and hea lthy and COV ID-19 is a topic that w e w i l l d i s c u s s ,” G u n s s a id . H o w e v e r, u n t i l e v e r y t h i n g c a n r e s u m e n o r m a l l y, G u n s a n d h i s c ol l e a g u e s a r e l o oking out for new travel criteria. “Hopef u l ly soon COV ID-19 will be a conversation of the past,” Guns said. “However, COVID-19 will obviously still be a part of the conversation because there are travel restrictions where some countries w il l only a l low v isitors if they have been vaccinated.”

Graphic courtesy of Steven Guns The Fair serves to answer any questions students may have and show them abroad opportunities.

A lthough COV ID-19 is ver y much a factor of reality, Guns said it’s important to start planning now for those interested in traveling abroad in the upcoming semesters. A longside Guns in the Study Abroad off ice is Education Abroad Adviser Chloe Chaplin. Chapl in is happy to resu me the study abroad program after it has been halted for over a year. “ We are all eager to get back to t r a v e l i n g a nd a r e e nc ou raged by ou r st udents who a re continuing to plan their st udy abroad journeys,” Chaplin said.

Despite t he preva lence of COVID-19, preparing for studying abroad has not slowed down. “COV ID has obv iously ha lted a l l globa l t ravel inc lud ing study abroad programs,” Chaplin said. “However, we have not seen any decrease in student or faculty interest in study abroad.” The virtual fair week is an opportunity for students to learn more about studying abroad. A full schedule can be found at murraystate. edu/studyabroad. For more study abroad updates, the office also has an instagram @msu.studyabroad.

Music professor publishes music and tips online Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameson1@murraystate.edu Murray State professor of music Stephanie Rea uses YouTube and Spotif y to share her music as well as tips about f lute playing which has been helpful to students because of COVID-19 and the lack of in-person instruction. “My channel consists of v ideos for f lute musicians, particu l a rly b eg i n ner s t h rou gh t he collegiate level,” Rea said. “My channel allows students to play bet ter and work on sk i l ls that can a lso be practiced at home. Rea spends her qua l it y t ime posting t utoria ls on her channel. Some of t hose v ideos inc l u d e f u n d a m e nt a l f l u t e e xercises and recordings of previous performances for st udents to look over outside of class. Rea started her YouTube channel in January 2020. She has over 600 views on the channel so far and over 1,000 listeners on Spotify. “My channel is organized into playlists for musicians and music st udents by categor y,” Rea said. “My current st udents use it a s e x a mple s of g o o d mu sic i a n s h i p a n d f l u t e p l a y i n g.”

Rea said her music career began w ith performing for money. In high school, she played the f lute for weddings, receptions and church gigs. Rea also g ave teac h ing lessons to help ma inta in a stable ca reer path. Rea, who began pursuing her music ca reer in 1996, e a r ne d h e r d o c tor at e of music in f lute performance at the Un i v e r s it y o f F l o r i d a S t a t e . R e a c ont i nu e d to t a k e jo b s play ing at c hu rc hes or teac hing lessons before she sta r ted teaching on a col leg iate level. “ Before coming to Mu r ray State in 20 0 0 I taught for one year as an adjunct faculty member at Columbus State Universit y,” R e a s a id . “ Fate h a d it s w ay for me at Mu r ray State.” The YouTube channel and Spotif y playlist concentrate on tutorials for students to play when pract icing at home. T he most popu la r v ideo is “ Melod isc he Etüden Op. 110, No.1 by Kaspar Kummer,” an audition piece for students to practice for the Q u a d S t a t e M u s i c Fe s t i v a l . “I started recording for Spotify at Murray State in 2004,” Rea said. “It is newly released with tutorials for f lute players ranging f rom beg inner to e x per t.”

On her channel Rea posts her music as well as flute playing tips.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rea’s Spotify playlist Rea published this playlist in 2005.

Rea said most of the music on her playlist is recorded in the Farrell Recital Hall, the performing arts building or her off ice. T h e v i d e o s on R e a’s c h a nnel include a mixture of f inding the basic tone of a f lute, interval slurs for expression, creating vibrato, soft exercises and harmonics for control and f lexibility.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rea’s YouTube channel

Today Rea still does solos, church jobs and gives lessons to students. “The most important part about playing is being a professor,” Rea said. “I don’t do nearly as much performing as I once did because I have children, and COVID-19 [makes it diff icult],” Rea said. Rea keeps her YouTube channel updated to help students who are willing to practice outside of the classroom. Her channel was not intentionally made because of COVID-19 but the students are using the v ideos Rea makes to their advantage during this time. Rea encourages her st udents to work hard, play hard, do their best, stand for what they believe in, be reliable and be someone who others want to work with. “Never stop learning,” Rea said. “Find things that inspire you and make your dreams come tr ue.” Rea prov ides more in for mation about her YouTube c ha nne l a nd S p ot i f y on he r w e b s i t e w w w. s t e p h a n i e r e a . c o m .

Features

Jan. 21, 2021

Dionte Berry/The News “Ignition” by Jason Stout is on display in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17.

Art exhibit showcases UT Martin professor’s work Ben Overby Staff Writer boverby2@murraystate.edu “Ignition,” an exhibit of paintings and drawings by artist and University of Tennessee at Martin professor of art Jason Stout, opened at the Murray State Clara M. Eagle Gallery on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The “Ignition” exhibit collects work from Stout’s Cloud Composition series, created from 2015 to 2019. The cloud compositions are distinct in their saturated colors, socio-political overtones and unique composition. T hey resemble the “big ball of violence” t rope popu la r in com ic st r ips and cartoons, with arms, weapons and various other objects extend ing f rom a cent ra l c loud. Stout said his use of color and composition in “Ignition” is very impor ta nt in c reat ing t he intended viewing experience. The pieces do not have a traditional background, foreground or midd le g round, but a re composed in a way to pu l l in the v iewer and quickly push them back out. “The design of the information is to get you to spin,” Stout said. “You are moving in and out of the painting and then also around at the same time. This goes conceptually with the idea of media spin, but also being totally overwhelmed with multiple narratives coexisting in the composition, not just one, which is tough to do in a static image such as a painting or drawing.” T. Michael Martin, assistant professor of art and design and d irector of Universit y Ga l leries at Murray State, became intere sted i n e x h ibit i ng Stout ’s c loud comp osit ions l a st yea r. “I contacted Stout to gauge his interest in presenting the works at Murray State during the protests and unrest happening in early 2020,” Martin said. “I felt that curating a sampling of those works and presenting a solo exhibition featuring the conflict paintings and drawings would be very relevant and timely for this moment in America.” Martin said the exhibit has become even more relevant as political tension has only grown since the initial decision to bring the

work to Murray State, citing the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “Jason Stout has been observing these behaviors as part of his studio practice since 2015, and possibly before, so one might give him credit for having a little foresight to the undercurrent and growing tensions he felt were important to research and present as a body of work dealing with struggle, altercations and cultural turbulence,” Martin said. Stout wanted the work in “Ignition” to ref lect an array of different issues and anxieties rather than having paintings and drawings ref lect on a single subject. He believes much of the intensity of the last f ive years comes from multiple issues coexisting and building upon each other. “ T he v isua l la ng uage in t he work is simplified but abundant,” Stout sa id. “ I want the v iewer to feel overwhelmed, because I think that is the perfect ref lect ion of how A mer ican societ y has been in the past f ive years.” National issues being left unresolved and eventually accumulating and “exploding” is what gave the “Ignition” exhibit its name. Stout said the format he dev e lop e d w it h h i s c loud c ompositions lends itself to showi n g t he plu r a l it y of con f l ic t . “The viewer really can read the order of the parts in the painting in a variety of ways, and the combinations of how they are ordered all create different results,” Stout said. He said the work also had to re sp ond to t he sp eed a nd e sca lation of the news c ycle. Southern identity is also a major c omp one nt of “ I g n it ion .” “I think the south lives in constant conf lict over our identity,” Stout sa id. “ We str uggle w ith our history and our progressiveness. We struggle with f inding new ways of living, new solutions, while also holding the heavy responsibility of guarding old tradition. Severa l of these painti ng s dea l w it h t h is con f l ic t.” He added that the south has a st rong ora l t rad it ion t hat ma kes h istor y a n impor ta nt pa r t of t he c u lt u re. While “Ignition” deals strongl y i n s o c io -p ol it ic a l t h e m e s ,

The art exhibit “Ignition” makes a comment on politics and social issues using clouds.

Photo courtesy of Jason Stout Pictured is Jason Stout’s oil painting “Ignition” on display in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery.

Dionte Berry/The News Pictured is Jason Stout’s painting “The Cloud” on display in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery.

there are more personal aspects to Stout ’s work as wel l. Some p ie c e s c l o s e to h i s h e a r t a r e those that deal with fatherhood. “My little boy was born right before this body of work started, so as it evolved he was growing up and during the period of experiencing ever ything going on I had to not only consider how it made me think about my work, but also how it made me think about being a father,” Stout said. He enjoy e d f it t i n g references to his son into his

work , like his toboggan in “ H at s for B at s ” a nd h i s toy s i n “ G r e y s on S a l v o B a r r a g e .” “ I g n i t i o n ” o p e n s o n Tu e s d a y, J a n . 19, a n d w i l l b e o n d i s p l s y u n t i l Fe b . 17 i n t h e Clara M. Eagle Ga l ler y on the si x th f loor of the Price D oyle F i ne A r t s Bu i ld i n g. T he ex hibition is free and op en to t he publ ic f rom 8: 0 0 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a nd f rom 8 a .m. to 6:3 0 p.m. o n Tu e s d a y s a n d T h u r s d a y s .

Dionte Berry/The News